Graceful
by GrojGirl10
Summary: He dances like a mom. Her moves are very graceful. So what happens when their styles collide? Based on Corey's Hidden Talent by Chris Nest.


**A/N: This is a Corney version of Corey's Hidden Talent by Chris Nest. While some elements are changed, I want to let everyone know who created the original. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

CRASH!

"Cut!" Dance director Luke Nickels exclaimed. "Mr. Riffin, this is the third time this week you screwed up during rehearsals."

"Sorry," Corey said as he rubbed his sore elbow.

"You always say that, Riffin!" Carrie exclaimed, getting back on her feet. "You've been getting worse every class!"

"No I haven't," Corey said.

Kim and Konnie stepped forward. "You lost your grip and my knees got hurt when I slid across the floor," Kim said.

"And you made me bruise my booty," Konnie said.

The other girls in the class chimed in with their own complaints, all while Corey sighed in defeat. He joined the Peaceville Ballroom Dance School a month ago, and he was doing a terrible job. How bad is he? Just think back to that one scene in the shower episode. Yes folks, Cornelius Jaron Riffin is the worst dancer in Peaceville.

"Okay, so I'm not exactly the best dancer," Corey said when things got quiet. "I don't know why, but I stink."

"Then maybe your problem isn't you," Luke said. "It's your partner. The key to dancing is trust between partners. Do you trust any of the girls you see before you?"

"No," Corey said bluntly. "Especially the Newmans."

"Very well," Luke said. "Ms. Beff, continue working worth Mr. Nepp. Mr. Riffin, your homework assignment is to find a girl you can trust and make her your new partner."

* * *

"Laneabella, dear, are you ready for your weekly cotillion class?" Mrs. Penn called out.

Laneabella, better known as Laney Penn of Grojband, walked down the stairs, looking rather princess-like and graceful. Her red hair was longer and curly, a silver tiara carefully placed on her head. Without her black eyeshadow and black lipstick, a bright smile showed the true beauty of her face. She wore a gorgeous light green gown with a black sash tied around her waist, a black bow in the back. And to top off her look were tiny black flats, carefully selected to fit her cute little feet.

"Yes mother," Laney answered. "I love attending cotillion every Saturday." Her tone was genuine and her pitch slightly high, but not too much. It had taken lots of practice to get it just right.

"You look beautiful as always, princess," Mr. Penn said.

Laney blushed lightly. "Thank you, father," she said with a curtsy, her smile never fading.

I know what you're thinking. Is Laney Penn, the tough, independent gal from Grojband, acting out-of-character? Actually, she's not. Laneabella Penn was raised to be a proper young lady, the perfect picture of sophisticated grace. She only pretended to act like a rocker chick to hide her true princess identity from everyone in Peaceville, using bobby pins to make her hair look shorter and straight, hiding her natural beauty with dark makeup, wearing a tank top underneath her tomboy outfits to hide her slowly-developing curves, and speaking in a deeper tone since her natural speaking voice made her sound like Disney's version of Snow White. Because of this, she started attending cotillion classes so she didn't completely change thanks to her disguise. And today was her final class.

Just as Laney was about to return upstairs, the phone rang. Before either Mr. or Mrs. Penn could try to pick it up, Laney said, "I will get it!" Still happy over her upcoming cotillion session, she picked up the ringing phone and answered. "Hello?"

"Lanes?" a confused, yet relieved Corey Riffin responded. "Um... Hi. Why are you impersonating Trina again?"

"C-Corey?!" Laney's eyes widened, suddenly getting very worried. Why oh why did Corey need to call now?! It was almost time for cotillion! Laney was all dolled up and pretty! She didn't want Corey to find out she was a total girly-girl!

Just then, Mr. Penn peaked his head around to see his daughter. "Who is it, Laneabella?"

"Oh... Erm..." Laney stammered, placing her hand over the speaker and hoping Corey couldn't hear her. Managing to relax a little, she said "Father, can I please continue this conversation in my room? It is a friend of mine, you see."

"Is it this Cornelius we have heard so much about?" Mrs. Penn spoke up. Blushing, Laney responded. "Yes mother."

Laney's parents knew of their daughter's habit of acting rebellious and slightly vulgar when around the guys to impress Corey. She had told them she had fallen hard for the boy, but he seemed to prefer tomboys with short hair who liked rock music. While Mr. and Mrs. Penn were reluctant to allow their daughter to pursue a double life in the hope of winning a boy's heart, they could sense that Laney was truly in love with this boy and they were not so cruel as to deny their princess her chance at living her own happily ever after.

"Alright, my dear. You may talk with Cornelius in private." Mrs. Penn said "But please be quick. Cotillion is soon and we do not wish to be late!"

"Thank you, mother." Laney happily said before retreating to her bright pink bedroom. She closed the door and ensured it was locked before relaxing and clearing her throat. "That wasn't me," she said, speaking in her deeper 'Laney of Grojband' voice. "That was my moth- mom! My mom."

"Okay..." Corey said. "Can you come over? I need to talk to you."

Laney glanced at the clock. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have enough time to change her outfit and make it to cotillion. "I... I can't," she said. "I have an appointment in a half hour."

"An appointment?" Corey sounded concerned. "Where?"

Laney bit her lip gently as she tried to think of something to say. "Um... At the dentist! Yeah, that's it. My parents have been nagging me that I need to take better care of my teeth!" she lied, hoping Corey would buy it.

"That's okay," Corey said. "I'll stop by your house."

"No!" Laney exclaimed, switching back into her more natural feminine tone without realizing it. "You can't!"

"But Lanes, what I need to tell you is really im-" But Laney hung up. Unlocking her door, Laney descended her stairs to place the phone back where she got it.

Seeing the worried look on his daughter's face, Mr. Penn asked, "Is everything alright?"

"No, father!" Laney answered, fear now present in her voice. She just knew that despite what had just happened, Corey Riffin would be making his way over right this second. "Cornelius is coming over. I cannot let him see me looking like this!"

"Why not?" Mrs. Penn asked. "You have been pretending to be a vulgar person in front of them. I have asked you before and I will ask you again, Laneabella. What harm is there in telling the truth?"

"Because they think that vulgar person is the real me!" Laney answered. "You know that, mother and father! I fear if Cornelius saw me now, like this..." She gestured to her pretty form, coated in her beautiful dress. "...he would never speak to me again!" She headed for the front door. "Now, may we please leave for cotillion now? I must leave before he-"

But when Laney opened the door, Corey was standing right outside. "Lanes! Thanks for..." Suddenly words abandoned Corey Riffin, for words could not describe the vision in front of him. His expression went from shock to utter awe, his eyes widening and becoming glossy. Corey was surprised to see Laney look so beautiful.

"Core... Corey?" Laney said, worried as to why her crush was just staring at her like that. _"I knew it! He hates me now!"_ she thought. If only she knew how far from the truth she was...

"You're... You're wearing a dress," Corey stated, staring at the sparkling light green fabric which surrounded Laney's form. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Unable to find any more words, he felt his heart pound madly, suddenly feeling rather hot even with the cool night air around him.

All Laney could do was nod slowly, silently trying not to burst into tears during her friend's silence. She was so scared right now, a million possibilities playing out in her mind and the majority of them bad. She too remained silent in an attempt to not make the situation worse.

Corey soon found his voice again. "You're wearing a dress," he repeated. "You're wearing a ballgown, with the long skirt and everything!" he said. Laney could sense surprise in his voice, although in her scared state she couldn't tell if it was delighted or disgusted. "Why are you wearing a ballgown to see the dentist?" Corey asked. "Is it dress-up day? Dress up like a fairy-tale princess and you get a free cavity check?"

Laney giggled slightly at the attempted ice-breaker before shaking her head. "No..." she uttered, almost too quiet for Corey to hear.

At that moment, Mrs. Penn arrived at the door to check on her daughter. Seeing the awkward situation Laney was involved in, she tried to help out. "Are you alright, dear?" she asked her daughter. Laney turned her head up to face her mother and nodded, breathing a sigh of relief that she had received some help. Mrs. Penn smiled before looking at Corey. "You must be Cornelius Riffin!" she said to him, gesturing a hand for the blue-haired boy to shake. "I am Mrs. Penn, Laneabella's mother."

The Grojband frontman took the mother's hand and shook it before speaking again. "Huh? Laneabella? What do you mean?" he inquired, his cheeks turning red at the thought of his best friend having such a pretty name.

Mrs. Penn frowned before resting a hand on Laney's shoulder. "I think now is as good a time as any to tell him, dear." She retreated into the house before calling, "And please be quick! Or you will miss cotillion!"

Not wanting to miss her cotillion class, the redhead faced her best friend and composed herself. "Cornelius..." she started, not bothering to deepen her voice. "This is who I am."

Corey blinked. "I don't get it."

Laney tried again. "I mean, the me you always see in band practice?" she said, earning a nod from Corey. "Well... That is not who I really am. I pretend to be a tomboy because I thought that is what you wanted in a girl. You wanted a girl who could rock out and be rebellious and hardcore, like Carrie." Corey could hear the jealous tone in Laney's voice when she mentioned the lead of The Newmans. "I just did not think you would ever like this me." she went on. "This... This girly, prim and proper, long-haired, fairy tale-loving, cotillion-class-attending princess!"

Corey blinked again, trying to register what he just heard. Laney Penn? Raised as a proper princess? Who loved girly things like fairy tales and pretty dresses? Corey couldn't believe it! It was a secret he had kept for many years, but he had always had a soft spot for girly-girls who loved cute and pretty things and who always prided themselves on looking and behaving like fantasy princesses. He collected dolls, dreamed about meeting them in amusement parks, and even treated girly princess-brand magazines like Playboys (especially those removable posters of beautiful, fully-dressed, fictional women). He had no clear memory of when this attraction began but he just assumed that was who he imagined his dream girl to be: a proper, feminine princess.

Snapping back to reality, he noticed Laney was trying to hold back tears. Quickly digging out a clean tissue from his pocket, he handed it to Laney who accepted it with a smile. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, Corey asked her "Lanes... Do you mean all that? Is that who you've been all this time? The real you?"

The bass guitarist nodded.

"And that's your real voice? Your 'Trina impersonation'?"

Laney nodded again. "I understand if you do not want to be my friend anymore after this..."

"NO!"

Laney took a step back after Corey's sudden shout. Mr. and Mrs. Penn moved closer to the door, having been drawn by the sudden shout and expecting that their daughter's friend had reacted badly.

To their surprise, Corey had a big smile on his face as he said, "Why would I not want to see you after hearing that?"

Laney looked back at Corey, hope in her eyes. She seriously didn't expect this reaction from her crush. "What?" she couldn't help but ask.

Corey decided that since one secret was out in the open, he might as well come clean. "Laney... I love princesses! I've always been attracted to girls who are prim, proper, and feminine! I've always thought girly-girls were the sweetest, prettiest, most graceful girls out there!"

The redhead princess's eyes widened, an excited smile starting to show. "Really?!" she half-asked, half-squealed.

"Yeah!" Corey nodded his head, feeling good for getting his own secret off his chest. "And I have to say, you look so amazing in that dress, Lanes. Or should I call you 'Laneabella'?" He smiled. Laney blushed madly.

From behind, Mr. Penn spoke up. "Is everything alright, princess?"

Still feeling like she was on Cloud Nine, Laney asked, "Mother, father? Can Cornelius come to cotillion with us?"

"Wh-What?" Corey stammered. "I don't think that would be a good idea..."

"Why not?" Mrs. Penn asked. "Laneabella has been practicing for weeks. Why do you not want to see all that hard work?"

Corey didn't respond. Part of him did want to watch the young princess' performance, but he was also worried that he knew too much. Besides, he still needed to find a new dancing partner. How was watching a cotillion performance going to-

The blue-haired preteen straightened his posture and grinned, a habit he showed whenever he got a sudden idea. If he watches the cotillion performance, he could find a new dancing partner! "You're right, Mrs. Penn," he said. "I deserve to watch Lanes' show."

Laney hugged Corey. "Thank you Cornelius," she said. "This means so much to me!"


End file.
